The Indian National Space Propulsion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) showcased India’s growing space technology capabilities at the 17th Australian Space Forum in Adelaide. A delegation from Indian space start-ups, led by IN-SPACe Head of Propulsion, Dr Vinod Kumar, and IN-SPACe Deputy Director, Shashank Saxena, attended the forum from July 24-25.
Participants included representatives from Indian companies like Agnikul Cosmos, TakeMe2Space, Dhruva Space, Bellatrix Aerospace, XDLINX Space, mistEO, OrbitAid Aerospace, Skyroot Aerospace etc. The delegation showcased cutting edge space projects, products and services and participated in numerous business to business meetings with their Australian counterparts.
Two important Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed during the forum. The first MoU was signed between HEX20, an Australian satellite platform company, and OrbitAid, an Indian company specializing in satellite life extension solutions. The partnership will focus on demonstrating in-orbit refueling technology.
The second MoU was signed between HEX20 and TakeMe2Space, an Indian startup building AI-driven computing and storage satellite infrastructure. The collaboration aims to integrate TakeMe2Space’s AI modules and subsystems into HEX20’s flatsats and provide access to TakeMe2Space’s OrbitLab platform to enable researchers and students to test and run their models in real time on the actual satellite.
Both MoUs were signed in the presence of Dr Vinod Kumar and Enrico Palermo, Director General of the Australian Space Agency.
Highlighting the importance of the forum, Dr Kumar said, “The Australian Space Forum has provided a valuable platform for Indian space start-ups to showcase their capabilities and explore potential collaborations with our Australian partners. These MoUs are an important step towards strengthening ties between our two countries in the space sector.”
The forum highlighted India’s growing influence in space technology and its efforts to foster international collaboration to advance space exploration and innovation.
First published: 25 July 2024 15:48 IST
